<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Late Nights by theworldisblue</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30004857">Late Nights</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/theworldisblue/pseuds/theworldisblue'>theworldisblue</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dreams and Nightmares, Gen, I wrote this in class, Jedi Temple (Star Wars), Master &amp; Padawan Relationship(s), No beta we die like younglings, Padawan Anakin Skywalker, Pre-Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, The Force, a few flashback-y parts, both mace and yoda are in it for like .2 seconds, probably seriously breaks the universe rules, theres zero plot, this is all about anakins great affinity for the force, this is just a ton of purple prose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:21:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,072</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30004857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/theworldisblue/pseuds/theworldisblue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Or maybe, the reason Anakin could not leave was the same feeling that had pulled him there in the first place. Around Yoda Anakin had the sense of a wall, like a great big stone one before his eyes, placed directly in front of his feet. The force, though seemingly as invisible as air, was so highly concentrated that Anakin’s mind could pick it up easily. It surrounded Yoda, almost like he was desperately pulling it in, and weaved around the little alien’s body in waves. </p>
<p>or; A simple late night assignment that goes very wrong.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Anakin Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Late Nights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is very slow-paced and unfocused. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The temple was almost too quiet at night. Anakin was used to this sort of thing by now, of course, but that didn’t mean he liked it very much. When things were quiet the galaxy was simply too large and the people in it too small. Obi-Wan always said that this was a good thing. That Anakin could connect with the force better if his mind was just a little emptier - a little quieter.</p>
<p>But Anakin yearned for the loud clash of training and bumble of Jedi hurrying throughout the temple during day hours. He enjoyed the rush, the feeling that he was just one gear in a whole machine of little pieces. He liked it when his galaxy felt small, immediate. Obi-Wan would say it was mindless thinking. Anakin just liked to think it was preference.</p>
<p>That didn't stop his master from sending him out on tasks throughout the Temple during night hours. Obi-Wan always did put on a whole show of innocence when doing so, like the coincidence just could not be helped. Obi-Wan had always had the keenest way of guessing the things Anakin liked to do and the things he really didn’t. He also had the keenest way of making Anakin do a whole lot of the things he didn’t like to do. </p>
<p>Anakin took it in good spirit of course. Obi-Wan always loved to exasperate him, but he also had a whole list of lessons to go with it. “Obedience”, he would say, “a Jedi does what he is told<em> . </em> ” </p>
<p>And then, when Anakin would let out a long sigh of resignation he would add, through a smile, “And a Jedi does it without complaint as well.”</p>
<p>The halls seemed to echo as Anakin slowly walked his way to the archive room. If he had wanted to, he could have walked more careful and kept his footsteps from making a sound. But there were no living quarters lining the halls to the archive room and Anakin made a point to make as much noise as he could without disturbing anyone. It was like his silent protest, and although it wasn’t much, he felt satisfaction in it nonetheless. </p>
<p>His task that night was mundane, just as it always seemed to be. “Just return these holos for me before you head to bed Anakin,” Obi-Wan had said, nursing a cup of tea in his hand. Anakin had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. </p>
<p>“The archives will be open tomorrow as well, can I not do it then?”</p>
<p>Arguing was fruitless, yes, but Anakin always did like to challenge his master’s reasoning from time to time. Sometimes, Obi-Wan would give Anakin a genuine answer, even outlining the lesson he was meant to learn. Other times Obi-Wan would get cryptic and give short answers, which usually meant Anakin had to figure it out on his own. That also meant that there was an overall point <em> to </em> figure out in the first place. </p>
<p>Most of the time however, like this time, Obi-Wan would give Anakin a playful look and say something along the lines of, “No, you may do it now, because that is when I asked you to do it.”</p>
<p>And then Anakin would spend considerably too much time completing the task and return to his master up and waiting. He would receive a half hearted lecture, usually on responsibility or efficiency before the night would end. That was what was supposed to happen tonight. Easy, predictable, and maybe even a little boring. </p>
<p>Except the Temple was very quiet this night. Usually there was still Jedi roaming about, their soft voices carrying in the air. The mass energy of the day never did seem to leave, causing the air to feel sparky and electric even in the stillness. And the thousands of breathing bodies, sleeping rhythmically under the same roof, seemed to all join as one, like the dull beat of a drum just below Anakin’s ears. Yes, the Temple was always quiet, but there was still the fullness of life at every corner. Sometimes Anakin could forget that for however empty it may feel, it could always be emptier. </p>
<p>This night there were no hushed voices, no comforting knowledge of thousands of beings just steps away. It felt wrong. Not wrong enough to make him worry, but just wrong enough for him to take uneasy notice. In Anakin’s opinion this was the worst kind of wrong anything could be. He always preferred his danger more outright and bold. Inkling feelings of unrest and shadowy thoughts of warning were not outright and bold, and Anakin hated that.</p>
<p>And it was still silent. It was an oppressive sort of silence too, filled with too much air yet still not enough space to breath. In his mind he knew that there were others around and that the night was only a temporary thing. But what his mind knew and what his being felt were not the same. He might have known everything was as it should be, but he could <em> feel </em>how it wasn’t. </p>
<p>He had tried to picture what Obi-Wan would say. And, well, it’s not like the man was far. If Anakin really needed he could make his way back to his master and share his doubt. After all, that’s what masters were supposed to to be around for. However, the thought of running to Obi-Wan hyped up on imaginary fear of the peacefulness felt silly and Anakin was soon to be a Jedi. He didn’t need Obi-Wan to coax him through silly feelings. </p>
<p>So he continued, albeit a bit slower than he had originally been going. The archive room wasn’t impossibly far. There were still no other Jedi in the hall. Anakin tried to decide if that was the sort of thing he should pay mind to. Of course, Obi-Wan’s voice came unbidden in his head, <em> You must pay mind to everything Anakin, even the details you consider meaningless. </em></p>
<p>Anakin tried to shake the words, because even though they might not be wrong, they were pretty useless in the safety of the Temple and he had already taken far too much time on this task. It was getting late and sleep was never Anakin’s favorite thing, but he would prefer it to this any day. </p>
<p>With a newfound urgency Anakin pushed on, meaning to take a light jog to finish his way to the Archives. Except, the minute he came to the door he stopped up short. His mind knew that he was meant to journey inside, drop off a few holos, and make his way back. But Anakin seemed to realize only too late how far away his mind and body were in terms of being on the same page. There was no going in the Archives, at least not at that very moment. </p>
<p>He didn’t quite register it until he was swiftly moving down the hall to his new destination, but there was definitely something off. Perhaps not with the Temple itself, or the people in it, but something. His feet weren’t making noise as they had before, which seemed to be an unconscious reaction to Anakin’s new diligence. He was headed to the gardens, which sat at the other end of the Temple. </p>
<p>He was aware, somewhere in the back of his mind, of Obi-Wan picking up on his alarm, which decidedly wasn’t a good thing. Still, there was an urgency now that had not been there before and Anakin suddenly decided there was simply no time to answer questions from his master. He shut out the older man, letting himself be kept away from Obi-Wan's presence. It was colder without the shadow of his master to preside over him, like he had just taken off a heavy blanket of safety.</p>
<p>The gardens were an odd experience in the night. They were quite the presence during the day. Clear green leaves intertwined with plants of hundreds of varying colors, ranging from planets across the system. There were great big trees, who were said to be older than all the Jedi at the temple, that stood wise and tall. Underneath them sat places where Jedi could meditate, surrounded by the gift of life, both new and old. </p>
<p>The stone paths carved in between different parts of the garden were worn from wear, but still elegant and pleasing to the eye. They also muffled Anakin’s footsteps as he made his way. He wasn’t exactly sure where he needed to be, but his feet were moving nonetheless. It felt almost like an invisible thread had tied him to a place and regardless of his consent, he must go. </p>
<p>The gardens, mercifully, did not feel so empty as the Temple did. It was still foreign to him seeing so much green. The first few months upon arriving Anakin would spend all his free time in the gardens, marveling at how many plants there truly were in the galaxy. </p>
<p>“That's not even all of them,” Obi-Wan had said one day as Anakin counted the petals on a bright pink flower, “There are so many more we are yet to see.”</p>
<p>He had beamed at Anakin then and it was for the first time that the young boy shared the smile back. The use of <em> we </em> is what probably had done it. Anakin was a part of something now. Something big and important and it made him matter. It made him matter so much that a man with the stature such as Obi-Wan would include him in even the most mundane of statements. </p>
<p>There were a few other little words Obi-Wan would use that Anakin never did seem to forget. The first time he said <em> our </em> or maybe <em> us </em>. It was important to Anakin that he was being acknowledged and valued. A whole lot more important than Obi-Wan ever picked up on.</p>
<p>Still, most of these world altering words came in conversations held in the garden, considering Anakin spent so much time there. This made Anakin regard the gardens with a sort of loving, beyond just its beauty. The gardens were safe and he still regularly visited when he was upset. </p>
<p>Except it didn’t feel safe now. It's not like it felt <em> unsafe </em>, but there was something unstable about the usually calming presence. With each step Anakin could feel the pit in his stomach grow deeper and soon his hairs were standing on their ends. </p>
<p>He was moving through the garden at a deathly slow pace now, worried that if he went any faster he might blink and the garden would be gone. He tried to feel the force, let it fill him up and warm him underneath his skin just as Obi-Wan had taught. But the force felt tight - too tight for all the teeming life in the gardens. It was almost like he was nearing a vacuum. But of course this made no sense, for the force is not a limited thing. There is no rule that says someone can take away all of it that presides in one place. </p>
<p>This would be an easier reasoning to believe if Anakin didn't feel like gasping for air with every new tug at the force. </p>
<p>He could see the galaxy in its fullness in the gardens. The sky was still pin pricked with buildings and speeding ships in the edges - the only evidence of the bustling city of Coruscant he could see. The city of Coruscant was loud in the way that Anakin liked; busy and bright and full movement. There were the screams of engines mingling as speeders raced through the sky and the unstable thrum of conversations amidst the throngs of people that adventured the lower levels. </p>
<p>The garden could almost feel otherworldly at times. Like it had sprung up from the ground one night on its own chagrin, or perhaps it fell from the sky. It didn’t feel unnatural per say, but something about such a beautiful place pressed right up to the border of a mess such as the city beyond was always just slightly odd to Anakin. </p>
<p>In the parts of the sky where the tall city buildings and little colorful speeder dots did not obstruct Anakin’s view, there was a wall of stars. He could see a few larger ships as well, probably just within the gravity of the planet. It wasn’t unusual, considering this was the planet for politics, for ships to station themselves there waiting to be allowed passage or leave. </p>
<p>Anakin never did see stars on Tatooine, and when he did they were too dim and sad to marvel at. The dust in the air always seemed to be too strong and the stifling heat from the two suns always caused a haze that made it hard to look up for very long at all. On Tatooine the sky might have simply not existed at all. Anakin didn't even mind when he realized he couldn't remember just the right shade of the orange at sunsets or the golden color the sand would turn for just a moment during sunrises. </p>
<p>He was happy to replace those memories with the new ones he had of watching the sunset through the clear glass of a window, on such a high floor of a building he was almost level with the great star. Or watching the sun rise on Naboo; the first time he realized some places only have one sun.</p>
<p>Not that the existence of suns mattered much now, in the dead of night.</p>
<p>The force still felt like a rubber band wound too tight and Anakin was still trying his best to keep Obi-Wan’s distracting worry at bay. It frustrated Anakin that he couldn’t keep his master from picking up on his unease. After all, nothing was inherently <em> wrong </em> yet. </p>
<p>The path of the gardens was a long one and it wound all the way around to eventually meet back at the starting point. It created for quite a small journey if someone were to decide to walk the full thing. Anakin used to be able to get just half-way through during his breaks between training when he newly arrived at the Temple. </p>
<p>He tried not to focus too hard on his breathing or the way his feet were connecting with the carefully placed stone of the ground. </p>
<p>He was so focused on trying not to focus in fact, he took several moments to register he had made it to his destination. Obi-Wan would have been quite disappointed in his mindlessness were he here. This thought took a background, however, to Anakin’s surprise of finding Yoda. </p>
<p>The little green being was sitting peacefully under one of the smaller trees in the garden, soft flowers of blue and orange circling his position. Anakin almost stepped back, upon seeing the obvious peaceful nature to the Jedi Master. If he was meditating so late and so far from the mediation rooms, surely he wanted to be alone. </p>
<p>Something, however, kept Anakin rooted to the spot. Perhaps it was how Yoda didn’t notice him when he approached. As far as Anakin had known, Yoda had a perfect sense of everyone and everything around him - especially in his meditation. </p>
<p>Or maybe, the reason Anakin could not leave was the same feeling that had pulled him there in the first place. Around Yoda Anakin had the sense of a wall, like a great big stone one before his eyes, placed directly in front of his feet. The force, though seemingly as invisible as air, was so highly concentrated that Anakin’s mind could pick it up easily. It surrounded Yoda, almost like he was desperately pulling it in, and weaved around the little alien’s body in waves. </p>
<p>How then, could Anakin leave? He could feel his own limbs calling to him to move forward, to join the rest of the force with Yoda. And the wall that lay just before him, as formidable and unmovable as it seemed, parted like water as he passed. The stars above his head were spinning now and the ground beneath his feet grew uneven. Pressure was knocking at him from all sides, yet he continued to move against the dizzying mess. </p>
<p>And he could feel everything. Exploding stars and supernovas out in the reaches of space, large asteroids twisting wildly in and out of the void of black. Waterfalls rushing, Alderaan and Naboo and planets he had never had the chance to visit, loud and brash. The weight of heavy air crafts - it was a wonder they could float in space so freely - settled onto his shoulders, as well as the beings aboard them. Crowds of citizens screaming in joy; audiences of monarchs. Handfuls upon handfuls of slaves, crowded in the deep space mines and scattered like little pinpricks of light shining all around the entire galaxy. He could feel the overwhelming welcome of new life that hurried to patch up the hole of accumulating deaths had left in the world. Even something as simple as the smallest scavenger bug, skittering in between broken bottles deep in the slums of Coruscant was clear across his conscience. </p>
<p>It was as if the force had opened up his head and splayed it out for the entire universe to use up. It was exhausting - and terrifying when he registered how he had exactly no control over how deep within the force he was falling. Still, despite everything that clouded his senses, the great overpowering vibrancy of life stayed bright like a banner across his darkened vision. Every creature, every plant, every in between within his reaches seemed to battle for recognition. Some individual beings were far brighter than others - the Jedi just within his vicinity and stationed across the galaxy making up for most of them. </p>
<p>It was as if the force was handing him an entire chunk of the galaxy on a silver platter. </p>
<p>His head would have exploded from all the pressure, he was sure, if it had not been for the strong hand that clamped over his forearm and yanked him out of the frenzy. </p>
<p>Being pulled out met more resistance than entering had, causing Anakin’s already disoriented state to sway. Immediately, the air felt softer to his touch and his head lighter. Except his feeling of unbalance did not go away, instead spinning wildly out of control. It seemed now that without the force to press down on him he was unraveling. </p>
<p>There were voices, footsteps. So many things circling around him, both on the outside and within. The ground was rapidly falling under his feet and he endeavored to go with it, if it was not for the strong grip that held him above the chasm. </p>
<p>The voices around him no longer passed above his head, but were instead directed at him. He wished idly he could register the words being spoken, but his ears were buzzing too loudly for anything to be made out. He could however feel, very clearly actually, the hands holding him in place lower him to a hard surface - the ground - which was surprisingly cold. Even more surprising would be how hot Anakin felt. In fact, his skin might as well have been on fire. </p>
<p>Hands cupped his face, ran through his hair. He might see them if he were to open his eyes. He did not, of course. He was much too afraid to be met with the face of nothing that was the force once more. Best to keep them closed. Best to not so much as to do much of anything at all. </p>
<p>And his shields were down. Completely blown to pieces right at the base and crumbling into sand that seemed to run through his fingertips as he fumbled to build them again. </p>
<p>When his wounded mind finally let him go and he could fall into the blessed safety of sleep, Anakin could detect just a sliver of worry, slicing through the fog of everything else. Not his own worry, but one he felt often enough to know quite well. </p>
<p>It belonged to none other than his master - Obi-Wan Kenobi. </p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>**********</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anakin was lying too still. </p>
<p>Of course when Obi-Wan brought this extremely pressing observation to the attention of the other Jedi he stood with, it was cast aside. </p>
<p>"He is fine, Kenobi. You got to him in time,” Mace said, his arms crossed tightly.</p>
<p>Anakin did look fine. He was just a tad pale and his breathing scarily slow, but other than that he seemed to be completely spotless. But that was the outside and Obi-Wan, better than his superiors, could sense just how badly the inside had fared. </p>
<p>His worry for Anakin was all-consuming. So much so that he had quite a lot of trouble focusing on the discussion in front of him. “Kenobi.”</p>
<p>He turned. Yoda stood across from him, staring as if he could <em> sense </em>the stiff set of his shoulders. Perhaps he could. Obi-Wan waited patiently for the Jedi master to continue, but his mind was screaming at him to keep watch on Anakin’s sleeping figure. </p>
<p>“Know, do you, how Skywalker wandered to the gardens so late?”</p>
<p>The question itself didn't sound accusing, but the insinuation was still there. As his master, it was Obi-Wan’s job to know of his padawan’s whereabouts at all times, especially when it was technically after the young boy’s curfew. Obi-Wan sighed and used the moment to peer back at Anakin, as if afraid he might disappear into dust at any given moment. </p>
<p>“I do not know, Master. I had sent Anakin on a quick trip to the Archives. Certainly I could not guess he would change objectives so drastically.”</p>
<p>The others nodded in understanding, all taking the opportunity to peer down at the boy now. </p>
<p>The sky was still dark, but considerably less so as the morning hours crept up on them. Anakin had not moved since Obi-Wan pulled him from the sphere of Yoda’s influence, but the Jedi had long since determined he was no longer in immediate danger. </p>
<p>Yoda didn’t travel to the reaches of the living force often. He understood the caution needed to plunge so deep within the force and had worked his entire life to be strong enough to not crumble under the toll it takes. For most Jedi, this would be a feat simply impossible to achieve. </p>
<p>Yet, Yoda’s deep experience and affinity for the force is what kept him afloat. To be able to grow so big as to touch the entire galaxy, well it was no simple task. For a Jedi as young as Anakin, who had only just begun his training less than a decade prior, it was especially difficult - and dangerous. </p>
<p>The alarm the young boy had broadcasted upon jumping into the depths of Yoda’s meditative state were heard by most of the Jedi Masters within the temple. Anakin’s master, among them. The Jedi had all come running, converging together in the gardens just in time to witness Anakin go limp in Obi-Wan’s arms. </p>
<p>Now they stood in a commanding circle, like a hidden meeting within the privacy of the gardens and attempted to discuss what it was they were to do. After all, nothing like this had ever happened before. It seemed, just like always with Anakin, his predicament fell outside the realm of protocol. </p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>**********</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anakin’s sleep was anything but peaceful. Dreams raced across his mind - long winding passages that led to formidable doors built up of pure kyber. They glittered in the light, which came from the rivers of lava that matched the passage-way on either side. Every now and then the molten surface would bubble up in a burning spray, yet when it touched Anakin’s skin all he could feel was the cool smoothness of metal. </p>
<p>He was running, but why he did not know. The walls that rose around him were an expansive black, so clean he could see his reflection sprinting past the doors. His feet made no noise and his boots, which were startlingly dark, seemed to morph with the floor. The farther he moved, the brighter the lava seemed to get and the more volatile it grew. </p>
<p>The doors which lined around him were without labels and he couldn't reach one even if he tried, for the river of lava made much too great of a chasm for him to pass. </p>
<p>The end of the passage was capped off by another great door, which Anakin saw when he came upon it. His feet skidded to a stop and he circled around in his place, seemingly helpless in his predicament. Whatever he had been running from was sure to come up on him quickly now and he was still at a loss for where he was meant to go. </p>
<p>His limbs began to itch and the lightsaber strapped to his side began to burn white-hot. The rumbling of footsteps sounded in the direction he had come, which was now blanketed with a thick shadow of black. The doors lining the walls were no use. They were much too close to the lava, which by all reason should be deadly. So close, in fact, that the glittering white of their surface seemed to glow an angry red.</p>
<p>The door on the end of the passage, however, was obstructed by nothing. It rose taller than the others around him and seemed to shine just a bit brighter. He rested his hand to the surface and startled at how cold it was. Cold like that of the deepest reaches of space. </p>
<p>He braced both hands against it, letting the sharp ice of the surface prickle his bare skin, and shoved with all his might. The footsteps behind him grew like a thundering drum in his ears as they neared. His bones felt quite brittle when put up against the great might of the door, but as the echoing footsteps grew closer, he only pushed harder. </p>
<p>He managed to open it up a small crack, quite insignificant in the grand scheme of his situation, however it proved to be all he needed here. For that is all it took for the door to swing open with great force, so much so in fact that Anakin thought it might be running away from his touch at first. </p>
<p>And the power behind the door, whatever it may be, pulled him into the opening with a massive strength. He grabbed hold of the edge of the doorframe, fearing whatever void his desperation had opened up to him. </p>
<p>Anakin could twist around only just enough to get a glimpse of the arriving figures from down the way - faces that he knew well and that he loved, Obi-Wan one of the clearest amongst them all - before his grip gave out and he was sucked away. </p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>**********</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Anakin did eventually awake, all he could register was how impossibly bright everything was. The walls around him were a sterile white and the lights just overhead were burning down on the matching floor. Anakin knew instantly where he was: the medical center in the Jedi Temple. </p>
<p>Which… was decidedly not good. </p>
<p>Obi-Wan, who had apparently been sitting by Anakin (tale as old as time), suddenly loomed in his vision, all worried eyes and slight frowns. Anakin moved to sit and subsequently stopped when he felt the terrible throbbing in his head. Laying down would simply have to do. </p>
<p>“Padawan,” Obi-Wan began, his voice awfully close to a scolding tone, though there was softness hiding just around the edges, “how are you feeling?”</p>
<p>Anakin didn’t respond, opting instead to close his eyes once more. It helped his headache to subside, if only a bit.  A soft sigh sounded next to him, most likely Obi-Wan’s doing, and a gentle hand rested on his head.  </p>
<p>Moments later, calming feelings began to flood him, and his headache left him almost completely. Courtesy of his master, of course. It wasn’t common for masters to help their padawans regulate pain at Anakin’s age, but he didn’t argue as his jumbled thoughts slowly faded into the background. </p>
<p>There was, as always, a comfort in Obi-Wan’s presence. In many ways, the man meant safety and Anakin felt quite vulnerable in the moment. The world whirled underneath his closed eyes and he could feel Obi-Wan’s intentions loud and clear through their bond, which were unsurprisingly genuine. His master’s gentle ministrations, both mentally and physically were grounding enough to give him rest.</p>
<p>A bone deep tiredness took over and Anakin was asleep again quite quickly. This time he did not dream. </p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>*********</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He had to do a lot of meditation for his balance in the force to return. </p>
<p>Yoda held specialized sessions with him once a week for at least a few months, which were to help strengthen his mind against such influences as the one in the garden. His elders claimed that this was for how in tune he is with the force at such a young age. That he is open to specific dangers his peers probably would not be. </p>
<p>To Anakin, it sounded like a whole lot of extra trouble. He never did like meditation and ever since his little field trip into the living force had been a bit timid when it came to connecting to it. He would stand by the fact that he was not afraid, simply cautious. Obi-Wan told him caution can be a form of fear, were he not careful.</p>
<p>Slowly, however, it got more manageable. After awhile, that night in the gardens felt like a far-away dream. The edges of the memory became fuzzy and the finer details unclear. It seemed as if at long last they would continue on, as if it never happened. </p>
<p>When the council finally let him accompany Obi-Wan on assignments again he was beside himself with excitement, which he did a terribly poor job of hiding. Even the terrible dream, which had lived stamped behind Anakin’s eyes for months after the incident, could be brushed aside as overactive imagination. </p>
<p>The months after became years and soon there were bigger, better things to focus on. Missions, politics, too many adventures to count. This night was just a misstep, one hardly anyone could remember well anyway. </p>
<p>And if anyone ever noticed that Obi-Wan never sent Anakin out again for assignments during the night hours, nothing was said. Just the same as if anyone noticed Anakin’s considerably lessened use of the force, especially in battle, they never said anything either. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you thought that was a headache to read, imagine writing it. </p>
<p>Also this most definitely doesn't follow the world rules and misrepresents the force as it's supposed to be in canon. I like to think I would do something about it if I cared enough.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>